Signs Of The Time

Over the years my reputation as a photographer has been entirely concerned with music, the monochromatic images providing me a modest reputation. Some of the images have become well-known throughout the world. Photographs of Anthony Braxton, Albert Ayler, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, John Cage with Marcel Duchamp and Lonnie Johnson among others, appearing in numerous magazines, books, films and CD jackets. Plus the occasional photographic exhibition.

I’ve never been much interested in colour photography, the magic of the shades, tones and drama of black & white images capturing my imagination, and with the exception of commissioned work, usually for the covers of recordings, I’ve never much concentrated on that aspect of this art form. As I’ve travelled about the planet the plethora of signage has caught my attention. Visual graphics of every kind – political proclamations, advertising, graffitti, directional markers, artistic renderings… fascinating me. Allowing me to indulge in the use of colour transparencies.

The seventy pictures in Sign of the Times are chosen because they in some way remind me of special occasions, places that remain in memory. The locations are widespread: my original homes at Bristol and Toronto, the past twenty-five years on Hornby Island; Vancouver and a variety of locations here on the West Coast of Canada; visits to a number of other locations in England, Mexico, Maui and too many others to mention. It is not necessary for the photographs to be site specific, they are simply images that have taken my fancy.

The soundtrack is titled “Open One” and performed by Forty Seven Feet Tall a trio consisting of myself (C soprano saxophone), James Pett (electric guitar) and Michael Libby (drum kit). The piece is the opening improvisation from a concert recorded on September 26th, 2001 at Open Space Gallery, Victoria, British Columbia.